Hot Topics:

Council unlikely to ban Planned Parenthood

By Emily Devlin, edevlin@sentinelandenterprise.com

Updated:
02/04/2010 10:10:22 AM EST

FITCHBURG -- Some city councilors said public testimony given Tuesday about Planned Parenthood's intentions to open an office on Main Street made an impression on them, but it is doubtful the City Council will do anything to oppose the organization because of potential legal problems.

"A lot of testimony I heard was very powerful and emotional," Councilor-at-large Marcus DiNatale said.

Many people inside the packed City Council chambers came to the table to speak to the city councilors, following the Council-as-a-Whole meeting where Planned Parenthood officials talked about the services they will offer when they open this spring.

Joy Contois, a Fitchburg resident, told the City Council that her birth mother considered aborting her more than 60 years ago, but changed her mind.

"It was the greatest price of love I could possibly remember. She gave me up for adoption," Cantois said.

Kylee Gordon, a 17-year-old Leominster resident who attended Fitchburg High School, delivered an emotional speech about what she said are the dangers Planned Parenthood poses to the community.

"Those babies are going to be aborted. The word fetus is Latin for baby. Look it up," Gordon said.

Ward 6 Councilor Jody Joseph said the pro-life testimony "was definitely an eye opener." People made it clear that Planned Parenthood will refer local women to their Worcester office for abortion services, Joseph said.

Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts President Dianne Luby told city councilors Tuesday that abortions will not be performed in the Fitchburg office.

Advertisement

Jesse Mermell, vice president of external relations at Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts, confirmed that referrals will be made earlier this week.

"I think they drew that out well last night, that they basically made their money on abortion," Joseph said, adding that personally, he is a Catholic and opposes abortion.

Absent from the Council-as-a-Whole meeting and public forum Tuesday was Mayor Lisa Wong.

Fitchburg resident Dominic Ingemi criticized Wong for not showing up.

"I just wanted her to hear what was going on. I think I know why she wasn't here; she didn't want the controversy," Ingemi said.

Wong said she was in her office working on the city budget during the meeting, though she watched the comments on Fitchburg Access Television. Wong said the public forum was "long overdue" and that she hopes there will be more interaction between Planned Parenthood and the public. Wong said she would rather see Planned Parenthood consider opening an office at the Burbank Hospital campus.

"Ideally, I would not want to see them on Main Street," Wong said.

Ingemi also slammed the City Council for not taking a stance against Planned Parenthood.

"I'm just disgusted with the lack of guts of the City Council," Ingemi said.

Ward 1 Councilor David Clark said he heard compelling testimony Tuesday, but since City Solicitor Michael Ciota advised the City Council not to draft a resolution opposing Planned Parenthood because of possible conflicts with the United States Constitution, the testimony was moot.

"The overriding fact for me was the city solicitor's opinion," Clark said.

Joseph, who has voted against the resolution three times since it the matter first came up two weeks ago, said he is not convinced that drafting a resolution would make city councilors and the city vulnerable to legal recourse, as Ciota said, because a resolution is only a symbol of disapproval.

"I really don't think we could be sued for that," Joseph said.

Joseph also wondered why Wong did not attend the City Council meeting until she presented a preliminary budget when the public forum ended.

"(Wong) popped in the room at 10 o'clock. She waited out there all this time because she didn't want people to see her?" Joseph said.

Some also spoke in support of having Planned Parenthood on Main Street in Fitchburg Tuesday. Jennifer Berg, a professor of mathematics at Fitchburg State College, said Planned Parenthood will be a positive force in the city, because it will offer relationship counseling to young people who need it. Berg alluded to the case of Allison Myrick, and FSC student who was murdered by her ex-boyfriend last week.

"This may be one way Fitchburg can support young people to know they can have healthy relationships," Berg said.

The City Council has the opportunity to take action on two petitions that came up Tuesday, which call for changes to zoning laws that would require Planned Parenthood to get a special permit from the City Council to move to Main Street.

Those will be on the agenda at the next City Council meeting in two weeks.

Welcome to your discussion forum: Sign in with a Disqus account or your social networking account for your comment to be posted immediately, provided it meets the guidelines. (READ HOW.)
Comments made here are the sole responsibility of the person posting them; these comments do not reflect the opinion of The Sentinel and Enterprise. So keep it civil.